Sulfur Oxygenase Reductase (Sor) in the Moderately Thermoacidophilic Leaching Bacteria: Studies in Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Acidithiobacillus caldus.

The sulfur oxygenase reductase (Sor) catalyzes the oxygen dependent disproportionation of elemental sulfur, producing sulfite, thiosulfate and sulfide. Being considered an "archaeal like" enzyme, it is also encoded in the genomes of some acidophilic leaching bacteria such as Acidithiobacillus caldus, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans and Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans, among others. We measured Sor activity in crude extracts from Sb. thermosulfidooxidans DSM 9293(T). The optimum temperature for its oxygenase activity was achieved at 75 °C, confirming the "thermophilic" nature of this enzyme. Additionally, a search for genes probably involved in sulfur metabolism in the genome sequence of Sb. thermosulfidooxidans DSM 9293(T) was done. Interestingly, no sox genes were found. Two sor genes, a complete heterodisulfidereductase (hdr) gene cluster, three tetrathionate hydrolase (tth) genes, three sulfide quinonereductase (sqr), as well as the doxD component of a thiosulfate quinonereductase (tqo) were found. Seven At. caldus strains were tested for Sor activity, which was not detected in any of them. We provide evidence that an earlier reported Sor activity from At. caldus S1 and S2 strains most likely was due to the presence of a Sulfobacillus contaminant.

Perna canaliculus lipid complex PCSO-524™ demonstrated pain relief for osteoarthritis patients benchmarked against fish oil, a randomized trial, without placebo control.

Osteoarthritis (OA) typically generates pain, reduced mobility and reduced quality of life. Most conventional treatments for osteoarthritis, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and simple analgesics, have side effects. PCSO-524™, a non polar lipid extract from the New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and has been shown to reduce inflammation in both animal studies and patient trials. This OA trial examined pain relief changes in relation to quality of life and safety of use for OA patients who took PCSO-524™ compared with patients who took fish oil (containing an industry standard EPA-18% and DHA-12% blend). PCSO-524™ patients showed a statistically significant improvement compared with patients who took fish oil. There was an 89% decrease in their pain symptoms and 91% reported an improved quality of life. Patients treated with fish oil showed significantly less improvement and a greater level of physical discomfort during the study. These results suggest that PCSO-524™ might offer a potential alternative complementary therapy with no side effects for OA patients.